Tagged: African women

Today’s Dame of the Day is Amandina Lihamba (1944-). As one of Tanzania’s leading playwrights, Lihamba wrote her Ph.D dissertation on the evolution of ngonjera, the a form of verse drama. Today, she is a professor at Dar es Salaam University. Over the course of her tenure, Lihamba founded a community theatre festival for children and a drama group for girls.

Today’s Dame of the Day is Sheila Tlou. After studying education and public health in the United States, Tlou returned to Botswana to teach HIV/AIDS education and serve as the country’s Minister of Health. She co-authored a reference book for people working in the field of HIV/AIDS, spread awareness about the disease, and reduced the stigma surrounding it. In addition to her in-country efforts, Tlou also consults for UNAIDS and the World Health Organization.

Today’s Dame of the Day is Anália de Victória Pereira (October 3, 1941-January 7, 2009). In 1983, Pereira and her colleagues formed Angola’s Liberal Democratic Party. Over the course of her political career, Pereira became the president of the party and led it until her death. To date, she was the most visible woman politician in the country’s history.

Today’s Dame of the Day is Hawa Abdi (May 17, 1947-). Following her high school graduation, a scholarship from the Women’s Committee of the Soviet Union allowed her to study medicine. After she became a mother, Abdi practiced medicine during the day and studied for her law degree at night. Today, Abdi puts both her credentials to use as founder of the Rural Health Development Organization and the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation. These organizations offer free and low-cost medical care to Somalian women and children.